MA in French: Options
- Four summers at the graduate level in the French School (completing a total of 12 Middlebury "units," or courses)
- Three summer sessions in the French School, and one summer in our new program hosted by the University of Poitiers, France.
- One summer at the graduate level in the French School followed by an academic year at the School in France (Paris only)
- One summer at the graduate level in the French School followed by an academic year at the School in France (Paris only), and then one more summer either at the French School in Vermont or in our summer program in Poitiers.
-
Program Details
The MA degree consists of twelve courses or units. Each student must begin with a summer of graduate study in Vermont (i.e. the summer of candidacy), which may be followed either by an academic year in Paris at the C.V. Starr-Middlebury School in France with the option for a second summer in Vermont, or else over a series of four summers total on the Vermont campus (including the summer of candidacy).
Successful completion of the preliminary summer of graduate study (summer of candidacy) on the Vermont campus is required before a student will be officially recognized as a degree candidate. During the required preliminary summer in Vermont, students normally take three courses.
Summer Study in Vermont
Every summer since 1916, the French School has created an intensive French-speaking environment inside and outside the classroom, during the day and—once you begin to dream in French—at night. The key to this experience is the famous engagement d’honneur, or Language Pledge, which requires students to speak only the language they are studying. The willingness to sign the engagement is also a guarantee that all who apply are truly serious about their course of study and their personal motivation. This allows us to build a community of dedicated teachers and learners and create the special atmosphere that is the hallmark of language study at Middlebury.
The French School curriculum includes courses in language, literature, civilization, and language teaching pedagogy. In the same way we look for variety in our teaching and teaching methods, the faculty and curriculum regularly represent all regions comprising the Francophone Diaspora: Paris but also other regions of France, France but also francophone areas such as western and northern Africa, Quebec, and the Caribbean.
Summer Study in Poitiers
Beginning in 2008, students can also complete the MA in a series of summer sessions on the Vermont campus and one summer in our new program hosted by the University of Poitiers, France. This program is open to MA students in their second, third or fourth summer, as well as to DML students, for whom this summer in France can count as part of their residency requirement.
Academic Year in France
Paris offers valuable intellectual and artistic opportunities for graduate students in French, and, for this reason, many students choose to complete their MA degree in Paris. The program offers enough flexibility to allow students to prepare for admission to the best Ph.D. programs, teaching careers in the U.S., or careers in the private and non-profit sectors.
Founded in 1947, the School in France is Middlebury’s oldest site abroad. Our study center, the Centre Madeleine, is located near la Place de la Concorde. It is within walking distance of le Palais Garnier (Opera House), le Louvre, and the Avenue des Champs-Elysées.
During the academic year, students complete the equivalent of seven units of coursework at branches of the Université de Paris and/or Centre Madeleine and write an MA thesis, or Mémoire, required of all Paris-bound MA degree candidates.
Students may choose to complete interdisciplinary coursework, or to specialize in French literary studies, French culture and society, or French linguistics and/or didactics. Students enroll in courses in literature (French and Francophone), French history, French art history, history of French music, linguistics, and/or language teaching pedagogy. One unit in advanced composition and stylistics may be required based on placement test results.
For all questions on the MA program in France, email: schoolinfrance@middlebury.edu.